Kindergarten
Kindergarten is an essential part of a child's education. High-quality early education from preschool through third grade helps children acquire critical cognitive, language, social, and emotional skills - establishing the foundation for all future learning. Legislation enacted in 2015 requires all districts to implement universal full-day kindergarten by August 2016. This fall, Johnston, North Kingstown, and Tiverton implemented universal full-day kindergarten, increasing the total number of districts offering universal full-day kindergarten to 31. All school districts will be required to provide universal access to full-day kindergarten for all Rhode Island children by August 2016. To learn more, please see our newest Early Learning Fact Sheet: Focus on Kindergarten!

Summer Learning
More than 100 years of research shows that children lose skills in both math and reading over the summer when they are not regularly practicing these skills in school. High quality summer learning programs can prevent this summer slide, and help all children succeed in and beyond the classroom! For more, please see our Early Learning Fact Sheet: Focus on Summer Learning.

Rhode Island Featured in National Report 
Rhode Island is highlighted as a leading state for tracking early chronic absence in Mapping the Early Attendance Gap - a new national report from Attendance Works and The Healthy Schools Campaign. Chronic absence defined as missing more than 10% or more of the school year (i.e., 18 days or more).

In Rhode Island, during the 2013-2014 school year, 12% of students in kindergarten through third grade were chronically absent.

Committed leaders across Rhode Island are collaborating to track this issue and to implement strategies to increase attendance. We're glad to work in close partnership with Rhode Island Department of Education, school superintendents, principals, teachers, parents, and community partners to reduce chronic absence!

Join the Celebration! 
Attendance Awareness Month is a nationwide recognition of the connection between school attendance and academic achievement. Everybody plays a role in ensuring children attend school regularly - click here for suggestions! 

You can also follow & join the conversation on social media all month long by using the hashtag #schooleveryday - and see some great resources here!

The R.I. Department of Education is accepting applications from public and nonpublic institutions that would like to participate in the federally funded Child and Adult Care Food Program. Child-care centers, adult day-care centers, family child care homes, schools, and emergency shelters may participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which currently provides nutritious meals to more than 15,600 participants daily at 610 locations statewide through 95 locally sponsored programs.

For more information, please click here!

The 2015 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook provides a statistical portrait of the status of Rhode Island's children and families, incorporating the best available research and data.

Use the links below to explore the Factbook sections!

• Family and Community
• Economic Well-Being
• Health
• Safety
• Education

• Rhode Island Community Snapshots (one for each of our state's 39 cities and towns, the four core cities, and Rhode Island as a whole)
• New England and U.S. Ranking